We lost a mom to HELLP!!!

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

To sum it up, at the start of our 1900 shift we have a mom who had seized following lady partsl delivery in the midday. When our shift started mom was breastfeeding her baby, on Mag Sulfate and diagnosed with HELLP syndrome. By the end of our shift she was in ICU following a bilateral craniectomy basically brain dead. This was by far, the worst thing i'd ever seen. She suddenly became unresponsive to anything including painful stimuli, blew her R pupil, was in OR within 2 hours of the event and from what the neurologist told us she herniated her brain, due to hemmorhage and cerebral edema. Our perinatologist said he's never seen something like this happen so quickly. Within a 24 hour period her platelets dropped from one hundred something to 37. Have any of you ever seen anything like this? I'm always so careful with my PIH pts but I will never look at another the same again.:crying2: :crying2: :crying2: Your thoughts???

I am so sorry! I went thru something similar in June. We lost a mother on Antepartum due to a brain aneurism. I still get upset when I think about her. It was such a tragedy. I had feelings of shock, guilt, anger and grief. Talking about it with other people really helped me.

My prayers will be with you and her family.

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Specializes in Case Mgmt; Mat/Child, Critical Care.

Wow, I am so sorry to hear this...this kind of thing hurts so much..

Last year we lost a 20yr old to a PE about 3 days post partum....what made it especially hard, it was the daughter of one of out L&D nurses, plus the girl had been my patient one of the days of her stay. You always wonder, if there was something you could've done...

Devastating, it's just devastating.

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Specializes in L & D.
Wow, I am so sorry to hear this...this kind of thing hurts so much..

Last year we lost a 20yr old to a PE about 3 days post partum....what made it especially hard, it was the daughter of one of out L&D nurses, plus the girl had been my patient one of the days of her stay. You always wonder, if there was something you could've done...

Devastating, it's just devastating.

I know it's been awhile since this thread was started, but I came across it and wanted to respond. I am a senior nursing student and have finally decided that L & D is where I want to be, despite the "bad bad bad" that can happen. In my fifty plus years of life, I have learned that, as Solomon wrote at Ecclesiastes 9:11, "...The swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor, because TIME AND UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCE BEFALL THEM ALL." As nurses, as human beings, we do all we can, we help, but we cannot guarantee the outcome. I feel sure you, and the others who commented here, did all they could. I admire the hearts that can break over unfortunate circumstances, because they care. I hope I work with women and men like you all. Also, thanks for your honesty, through which you teach others.

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Specializes in NA, Stepdown, L&D, Trauma ICU, ER.

Wow, I'm so sorry that happened! I just interviewed Monday for a L&D spot, I can't imagine how I'd deal if I was in your shoes

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Dear Friends,

I just came across this post too....and as a midwife and LDRP nurse, I really appreciate what jgrossberg says above, from the Bible. Life and death happens to us all, it is humbling to do all one can then have to admit once again that we are not in control. My heart goes out to all of you that have ever had a bad outcome. May your hearts heal in time ;-)

Sincerely,

Kim P RN CNM

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